Racism and Xenophobia

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Larquetta

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Are racist and/or xenophobic thoughts mortally sinful? For example, thinking you’d rather spend time with people from your own culture because you can better relate to them or thinking your own nation is superior to other nations.
 
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What do you mean? Keep in mind, not everyone that supports limited immigration is a bigot (although someone could hold that position for bigoted reasons).
 
I didn’t have illegal immigration in mind. I meant thinking you’d rather spend time with people from your own culture because you can better relate to them or thinking your own culture is superior to other cultures.
 
It depends on the content of the thoughts. Mortal sin would require malicious thoughts. For example, thoughts of harming someone because of their race. Thinking your race is superior would be sin but only venial sin, again unless you are wanting to seriously harm others. You can think of it as a character flaw to be worked on. Anytime you have thoughts like this, pray for those people instead. Put yourself in their shoes. I find this builds solidarity in the heart, so you can see them as God sees them. God loves all people very much. Also confess these sins to Jesus every night, so he can make you holy.
 
I’m not sure I’d call them “mortal sins”, but they are definitely something you want to bring up next time you go to confession.
 
There is a difference between preferring to hang with your own because your shared culture allows them to understand you easily and your exchanges with them are therefore more relaxed, and refusing to associate with people from other cultures because you think they are backwards or inferior solely due to their ethnicity.

As an expat I can relate to the former, but I also mingle with the locals, whom I respect and admire even if our interaction is sometimes awkward. The latter is clearly wrong.
 
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It’s normal to prefer people from your own culture and race, don’t let anybody lie to you and make you feel bad about preferring the company of your own.
And just a quick point: Clearly there’s something superior about European countries since so many non-Europeans want to come live here.
 
Can you cite sources for viewing your own race as superior being a sin?
 
I’d be careful about such comparisons, especially basing them on just one evil. How many people did Spain kill or enslave for money, or because they didn’t really think of them as people? That their conquest ended the Aztec sacrificial system is a nice side effect, but I’m not sure we can call it objectively the lesser evil.
 
In light of the fact that Spain not just ended the sacrificial system, but brought the Light of Christ to the Americas, I would say it is most certainly and objectively the lesser evil.
 
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Nothing wrong with preferring to spend time with like minded individuals, though if you never spend time with people from other cultures, that would be a terrible loss for yourself, and your understanding of the richness and grandeur of life.

Considering yourself or your culture as superior OTOH, may be the sin of pride.
 
CCHcolonel said:
We’re all children of God. There is no superior or inferior on the basis of race. Any superiority derives from forming societies that adhere closest to Gods will and commandments
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I could accept that distinction. Even use of a word like “superior” can be relative.
 
I don’t think you understand what the word “objective” means because you keep saying that certain cultures are objectively better then you point to subjective reasons
 
They technically did bring the Light of Christ, yes, but it wasn’t in many of their actions. To this day they are one of the many examples that brings Christianity into ill repute among indigenous peoples around the world. If we count the souls their words won, we also have to count the souls their example lost, even long after they were dead. “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” is not the status we’re going for.
 
Every culture is compatible with Catholicism. What are you talking about? Christ didn’t say, oh yeah, let’s not evangelize the Mayans because Spain is better
 
Sorry but there’s a difference between objectively looking at morals and then generalizing an entire culture based on your generalizations and assumptions of its people
 
By the way, it’s also important that Catholics be charitable. What you’re saying is not charitable to those faithful Catholics who are in predominately nonchristian cultures. Just because someone grew up in a culture contrary to yours doesn’t mean that yours is superior

I’d also like to point out that peter once didn’t dine with gentiles and Paul chastised him for it
 
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I disagree. I also don’t consider that worship and lastly I don’t want to continue this conversation with you
 
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